“The Mississippi Miracle,” as the experiment in legalized gambling in the Magnolia State has been called, is now a mature development at the age of ten. “Those first casinos -- gambling boats moored to the seawall a decade ago -- have given way to waterfront palaces, some that have earned clusters of travel guide diamonds and stars,” the Herald reports.

There are now 12 casino resorts in Gulfport and they offer 18,000 rooms, “from high-roller penthouse suites in casino hotels to antebellum bed-and-breakfasts.” But in addition to all the slot machines and card and dice games there are many “recreational and cultural” attractions taking hold along the 26-mile strip of the greater Biloxi area. Not just gamblers for gambling are appearing at Mississippi’s best Gulf of Mexico resort.